Hønefoss

Hønefoss
Unincorporated city

Hønefoss seen from the air. The river is Storelva.
Hønefoss

Location within Norway

Coordinates: 60°10′N 10°18′E / 60.167°N 10.300°E / 60.167; 10.300
Country Norway
County Buskerud
District Ringerike
Municipality Ringerike
City status 1852
Elevation 96 m (315 ft)
Population (1 January 2007)[1]
 • Total 13,930
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)

Hønefoss is a town in Buskerud county, Norway, and the center of the municipality of Ringerike. It is located 63 kilometres northwest by road from the Norwegian capital of Oslo.

In 1852, Hønefoss received town status and was separated from Norderhov. Hønefoss celebrated its 150th year of township in 2002. In 1964, Hønefoss ceased being a separate municipality and became part of Ringerike.

Hønefoss is located north of lake Tyrifjorden, where the river Begna forms the waterfall of Hønefossen, giving the town its name. Hønefoss is an industrial center of inner Østlandet, containing several factories and other industry. As of 1 January 2008, Hønefoss has 14,177 inhabitants.[1]

Etymology

The city is named after a waterfall in the Begna River. The first element is the name of the old farm Hønen (Norse *Hœnvin), the last element is foss m 'waterfall'. The name of the farm is a compound of a word *hœn- (with an unknown meaning) and vin f 'meadow'.

Economy

Hønefoss is home to several factories and other industry, with the Norske Skog Follum paper mill traditionally having had a significant impact on the town. The paper mill, one of the largest producers of newsprint in Europe, opened in 1873.

The paper mill closed in 2012.

Sport

Hønefoss BK is a football club that as of 2016 plays in Norwegian Second Division.

Frode Andresen, biathlete and a cross-country skier, Olympic gold medalist.

Gunn Margit Andreassen, biathlete and a cross-country skier, Olympic gold medalist.

Anders Jacobsen, ski jumper, the youngest Norwegian to have won the Four Hills Tournament.

Culture

Ringerikes Museum (Ringerikes Museum) is located in former Norderhov rectory. The museum is noted for its icon collection, its rune stones and its collection of the private belongings of Jørgen Engebretsen Moe. Jørgen Moe was a Norwegian author, who is best known for the Norske Folkeeventyr, a collection of Norwegian folk tales which he edited in collaboration with Peter Christen Asbjørnsen.

Norderhov rectory was the sight of the skirmish at Norderhov (Slaget på Norderhov). Late on the evening of 28 March 1716, an army of King Charles XII of Sweden was confronted by Norwegian forces. The Swedish troops had taken shelter in and by the old Norderhov rectory.Anna Colbjørnsdatter, the wife of pastor Jonas Danilssønn Ramus, sent an alert to Norwegians forces about the presence of the Swedes. The event itself was published by Peter Andreas Munch in his book Norges, Sveriges og Danmarks Historie til Skolebrug (1838).[2]

Iron Age guild hall in Veien Heritage Park in Hønefoss

On the north side of the town bridge is located Riddergården ("knight's estate"). This had been a patrician farm dating to 1730. This was the home of the manager of the local sawmill for generations.

Ringerikes Blad is a regional newspaper covering Ringerike, Hole and Jevnaker. Established in 1845, the newspaper is published daily in Hønefoss. As of 2006, the newspaper has a daily circulation of 12,684.[3]

Transport

Hønefoss is connected to Bergen, Drammen and Oslo by the railway Bergensbanen, as well as to Gjøvik by Gjøvikbanen. European route E16 runs near Hønefoss on its way from Oslo to Bergen. It is approximately 65 km from both Oslo centre and Oslo Gardermoen.

The Hønefoss Church as it appeared in 2005
The waterfall in the town center during the spring flood 2013

Hønefoss Church

Main article: Hønefoss church

Hønefoss Church (Norwegian: Hønefoss Kirke) burned down in 2010.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hønefoss.

References

  1. 1 2 "Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality. 1 January 2008". Statistics Norway. 2008. Archived from the original on December 31, 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  2. ↑ The skirmish at Norderhov (RingeriksPorten)
  3. ↑ "Generell informasjon om utgaven" (in Norwegian). aviskatalogen. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for H%C3%B8nefoss.

Coordinates: 60°10′N 10°18′E / 60.167°N 10.300°E / 60.167; 10.300

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/1/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.